BiodiversityBiodiversity is the large variety of living things and ecosystems that can be found on Earth and their interactions, along with the different genetic differences that exist in each species.Biodiversity's benefits include providing the food, fresh water, fertile soil, medicines, textile fibres and other raw materials needed to live. In turn, healthy ecosystems regulate climate and absorb CO2, purify drinking water, control flooding, slow down erosion and protect and fertilise the land that sustain our food. In short, the goods and services that biodiversity and ecosystems provide are a cornerstone of the economy and have great potential for generating jobs, and environmental and social wellbeing. However, their lack of assessment in economic terms and the fact that their use is free of charge has led society to undervalue them, use them in an irrational and unsustainable way, with their ensuing deterioration.
ThreatsThe hazards that biodiversity is currently facing are as follows:Urban development, construction of infrastructures and deforestation, which lead to the change of land use from natural to man-made. Pollution and degradation of ecosystems due to industrial production and to unsustainable and intensive livestock and farming practices. Climate change, mainly due to the use of fossil fuels. Invasive alien species. Photo: Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)Furthermore, the economic and cultural model based on wasteful consumption of products and the unrestricted use of resources and production of goods is an adjacent factor that contributes to the loss of biodiversity.The reduction of the natural productivity of the ecosystems also has direct impacts on local economies, with high environmental and social costs, which particularly affect those population groups that mainly live off natural resources. Consequently, biodiversity has acquired a new economic value based on the benefits from ensuring that the ecosystem functions correctly.
Natura 2000 NetworkDownloadThe Natura 2000 Network is a European network of natural areas with a high ecological value that seeks to guarantee the protection and conservation, in a favourable state, of certain types of habitats and species in their natural distribution areas. It is the main undertaking of the institutions and general public to protect biodiversity in Europe. This network is the main conservation tool of the European Union, as well as being an opportunity to foster sustainable development. Moreover, the Natura 2000 Network fosters the balance between social and economic activities and nature in order to improve people’s quality of life. The initiative was created in 1992 by the Habitats Directive and comprises two types of areas: The Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), designated for the conservation of habitats and species of community interest included in this Directive.The Special Protection Areas (SPA) for Birds, established by the Birds Directive in 1979 and which correlate with the natural areas of particular importance for wild birds. The network comprises 27,384 areas and covers 18% of the territory of the European Union, a surface area of 1.1 million km2. In the Basque Country, the Natura 2000 Network is made up of 7 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), 4 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for Birds and 4 both SPA and SAC areas, all of which were proposed by the Basque Government to the European Commission in 1997 and 2003. The protected areas in this framework are the largest contribution of Basque society to protecting and improving nature in Europe and include natural areas such as forests, seas, salt marshes, wetlands, hay meadows, upland grazing, heaths and other scrubland, rivers, peat bogs and cliffs. The 55 areas in the Natura 2000 Network in the Basque Country cover a surface area of around 1,500 km2 (20.5% of the territory).
Invasive species Download Alien or non-native species are species from other areas that are established in a different territory. Generally, these species arrive as the direct or indirect consequence of human activity, and are introduced in the new habitat intentionally or accidentally. Some of these species, the so-called naturalised alien species, adapt to the territory and reproduce and maintain their populations without human help. When the naturalised species are capable of reproducing in large numbers and at considerable distances or rates from their initial population, they are known as invasive alien species. Fallopia Japonica These species are one of the main direct causes of the loss of biodiversity and can cause significant environmental damage. One of the consequences of the invasive alien species is they change the structure and composition of the natural ecosystems, directly competing with the native species and even at times displacing or eliminating them. Their impacts can also be noted on the economy and on human health. In the Basque Country, there are a total of 478 alien plant species catalogued, 86 of which are considered invasive, which accounts for 3.74% of the flora of our territory. These species have invaded a large number of ecosystems, particularly affecting the coastal, dune, salt marsh, cliff and riverside woodland habitats. As regards the fauna, 49 alien species (25 vertebrates and 24 invertebrates) have been identified and the majority (34) are species from aquatic ecosystems. The LIFE project “Restoration of habitats of community interest in the estuaries of the Basque Country”, finished in 2014, addresses the problem of the Baccharis halimifolia (sea myrtle) invasive alien species in the main estuaries of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country
Estuaries LIFE Project DownloadEstuary habitats are exposed to a great number of threats, which include the proliferation of invasive alien plant species. The LIFE project “Restoration of habitats of community interest in the estuaries of the Basque Country” of the Basque Government has sought to recover those habitats in three areas belonging to the Natura 2000 Network and affected by the spread of the Baccharis halimifolia (sea myrtle) invasive species: The Urdaibai Biosphere ReserveThe Txingudi salt marshes The Lea estuary Baccharis halimifolia is an invasive alien plant species from the Atlantic coast of North America, which was introduced for ornamental purposes and which has spread along the European Atlantic coastline from Brittany to Asturias. This species is mainly found in high salt marsh areas. It is a rapid coloniser that is able to alter the physical characteristics of the soil and directly affects a large number of protected birds. This project was cofounded by the Basque Government and the European Commission, by means of the LIFE Nature programme. The project was managed by Ihobe. The LIFE Estuaries project envisages developing actions aimed at eradicating the invasive plant, along with raising awareness in society and disseminating the outcomes in order to tackle this issue. The elimination of the clumps and specimens of Baccharis halimifolia has allowed 300 hectares of estuary habits to be recovered and improved. Once the invasive species had been eradicated, the natural colonisation by native species typical of the habitats to be restored was implementing by sowing and planting the areas in question.
Biodiversity Strategy of the Basque Country 2030The Basque Country is continuously striving to protect and actively manage the natural heritage. In recent years, special mention should be made of the work in areas of the Natura 2000 Network or the management to conserve threatened wildlife and plant species. However, there are still ecosystems that continue to be degraded and work is still needed so that the land and marine environments of the Basque Country can achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status. The Biodiversity Strategy of the Basque Country 2030 is the instrument that establishes the priorities and commitments regarding its natural heritage. This initiative also has a global perspective and is in line with the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011-2020, an offshoot of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the European Union Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and the Spanish Government's Strategic Plan for the Natural Heritage and Biodiversity 2011-2017.This strategy is also in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, approved in 2015. One of these goals is to “promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. Download
TargetsThe vision that the Biodiversity Strategy has for 2030 is for “the Basque Country to improve the state of conservation of the natural environment, by halting its deterioration by means of the co-responsibility of all stakeholders, while ensuring that the general public appreciate the wealth of the ecosystemic services that the natural environment contributes to human wellbeing. The emphasis is always on leaving a biodiversity integrated in a resilient territory for future generations”. This vision is the basis of the targets that make up the priority lines of action of the Biodiversity Strategy: the two first consider aspects to conserve the natural heritage, the third is related to knowledge about and culture of nature, and the last with the governance system. This is all in an efficiency and effectiveness framework that seeks maximum coherence of the set of public policies that have a cross-cutting impact on the environment.These targets have led to 10 lines of action that define the position that the Basque Country wishes to have in 2030 and which are aspirational for the future. These lines deploy a total of 40 actions that will mark the course to 2020, so that coherence and coordination are guaranteed in the planning of the environmental policy for this year. These actions have been considered as priority after identifying the most important needs areas pinpointed in the Diagnosis and Participation Process.
Biodiversity, Climate change Save 14/03/2023 Biodiversity, Climate change The documentary ‘Climate talks’ chooses the Basque Country as an example of a region that practices an integrated climate policy For regions to be resilient to climate change, public policies must be adapted with a comprehensive vision. It is something that the Basque Government is already implementing, and this has been told through its Public Environmental Management Company, Ihobe, in ‘Climate talks’, a documentary series that intends to delve into the necessary steps that must be taken in Europe to adapt to climate change the protected areas and biodiversity in general.
Biodiversity, Climate change, Ihobe International Save Biodiversity, Climate change, Ihobe International Ihobe in Finland to take part in the launch of Regions4Climate, the EU project for coastal adaptation in the Basque Country 20/02/2023
Biodiversity, Climate change, Ihobe International Save Biodiversity, Climate change, Ihobe International Urban Klima 2050 and the Basque grants for local innovation showcased on the international RegionsWithNature platform 20/12/2022
Biodiversity, Environment, Local Sustainability Save Biodiversity, Environment, Local Sustainability The Basque Country is close to achieving the European Union’s 2030 target with a quarter of its territory already protected 20/05/2022
Biodiversity, Environment, Local Sustainability Save Biodiversity, Environment, Local Sustainability Udalsarea 2030 presents the second voluntary report on the contribution by Basque municipalities to the Sustainable Development Goals 01/12/2021